<- Stingray (Modern Animal)
The Venospike Ray (Venenum Dasyatis meaning Venom Ray) is a possibility of what the Stingray may have evolved into in 250 Million Years). The Venospike Ray is a heart shape creature, whose body is covered in sharp barbs, which are all individually imbibed with a poisonous Toxin. These barbs normally lie flat though, similar to that of the modern echidna , but if the Ray is threatened or in danger the barbs will become erect and if the skin covering a barb is broken through penetration of another animal the toxin is released, and although not usually fatal, can cause substantial pain and paralysis. The ray is approximately 3 metres long and 2.5 metres wide, and lives for around 15 - 20 years. The Spikes on adult rays are very long, sharp and serrated, but when the ray is first born these spikes are delicate and not yet hard enough to do any damage. But in the year of life they develop and become sharper and can be used for defence. They are not fully developed at birth as it would be incredibly painful for the mother to give birth if the baby was covered in poisonous spikes.
Kingdom
Animalia
Phylum
Chordata
Class
Chondrichthyes
Order
Rajiformes
Family
Dasyatidae
Genus
Dasyatis
Species
Venenum Dasyatis
Labelled Diagram of Venospike ray, drawn and labelled by Amanda Chancellor.
Habitat
The earth 250 Million years from now will not look anything like it does today. It is predicted that Africa will collide with Europe, and the atlantic ocean will gradually get smaller until it does not exist at all. Australia move north and join onto Asia, forming a huge mountain range where the two collide. North America and South America will have become one, and will collide with the edge of Europe as the Atlantic Ocean disappears. There will be a huge supercontinent, similar to Pangaea of 200 Million Years Ago, called Pangaea Ultima . There will be only one ocean, which is huge and covers most of the planet. This ocean has an anti-clockwise current, circulating around the southern hemisphere. Because of this current this is very little water movement from North to South, and therefore the temperature gradient has grown substantially.
Pangaea Ultima: Prediction of the Earth in 250 Million Years. Red Circles Indicate where the Venospike Ray inhabits. Source: http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2000/ast06oct_1/
The Venospike Ray lives along the edges of what was once North America and South America. The Water is very deep being more than 200m in some places. The Ray lives in rock crevices and near reefs, underwater caves, not in the open ocean. Although it may venture into open ocean to hunt and and, it is not seen stationary out there due to the presence of the massive predators, which have developed in the past 250 Million Years, such as the futuristic sharks known as Sharkopaths. The Venospike Ray lives on the Oceanfloor, but can venture away if need be, but this is still its preferential habitat due its flat body shape.
This cave is similar to that of which the Venospike ray prefers it live in - http://www.waterworxbali.com/Images/Photos/Large/underwater-cave-bali.jpg
The ocean which the The Venospike lives in now contains many different species, they have developed and evolved their defence mechanisms and are much more advanced generally. The small bony fish which the sting ray once fed on are long extinct. The Venospike Ray feeds on Sea Mammals and Fish, as it has developed a set of serrated sharp teeth so can now feed on animals such as the evolved seal, the oxyfish, and other species of fish, which also dwell on the bottom of the ocean.
The ocean is now a much warmer place than it was 250 Million Years ago, and for this reason the Venospike ray lives in deeper water, which are cooler, and also abundant with fish, mammals and other cartilaginous species like itself which have also evolved from rays and sharks. It longer travels to shallower waters to breed as the stingray did, as they are just too warm, and only smaller creatures live there, which are no longer a substantial source of food and nourishment.
THe Venospike ray is mostly a solitary creature, as they live so deep there is not a huge amount of difference between light, during night and day, so the Venospike Ray feeds once a day, and then remains hidden for the rest of the time, in a rock crevice or reef. Due to the warm water temperature if they exert themselves for too long they can become exhausted and therefore they must rest for much of the day, and if they need to venture from their hiding places, they do it slowly, using minimal energy.
Adaptation -
Structural Adaptation 1- Spikes Venospike Rays back
The Venospike Ray has spikes covering its whole back, when the ray needs to defend itself the spikes stand erect, and when not in use they lie flat. The spikes are covered in a thin layer of skin and when they penetrate another animal etc, the layer of skin breaks, allowing the harmful toxin to be released. Although the toxin is not fatal, it can cause significant pain and paralysis. Every spike on the Venospike Ray's back contains this toxin, and it can be released from more than one spike at once. Whenever the skin is broken the toxin is released. This helps the Venospike Ray as it is there strongest defense mechanism, if something comes to attack them from above their spikes become erect and if the attacker gets to close and touches the ray, they will have poison injected into them. It is also helpful as the spikes do not stand erect all the time, only when it feels threaten. This is useful as it allows them to swim with more streamlined bodies, and also they can hide in much smaller spaces and hide themselves more easily.
Environmental Pressures that may have led to this adaptation could be that in 250 Million Years the animals in the ocean have evolved greatly, the predators are even more dangerous than they are in the modern world. This may have led to the fact that the Venospike ray needs a more effective protection and defensive mechanism than what the modern Stingray has. Without this adaptation the Venospike ray would not be suited to live in this futuristic world as it would be very vulnerable to attack with no effective form of protection.
Structural Adaptation 2 - Teeth and shape of mouth
The teeth and the shape of the mouth on the Venospike Ray have greatly evolved. The mouth is no longer on the bottom of the ray, as it has been in the past. It is now at the very front (as seen in diagram above) and can open and close effectively for feeding, and the jaw is much stronger. The teeth in the mouth are also very different. They are very sharp serrated teeth used for ripping and chewing meat and bones. This helps the venospike ray as it no longer feeds on the crustaceans the stingray did, it feeds on animals such as seals and the oxy fish, both are which quite large and meaty. Its serrated teeth and strong jaw allow it to crunch through bones, and tear and chew meat with ease.
Environmental pressures which may have led to this adaptation may be that there are no longer the small bony fish around and crustaceans which the stingray used to feed on. There are now mammals and fish which are quite large and with the size of the Venospike rays body (3m) it needs to be able to eat something which could sustain it. The way the mouth has adapted allows them to eat the seals, oxyfish and other fish and sea creatures, which they need to survive. Without these adaptations it would be almost impossible for them to find something which they could eat.
Behavioral Adaptation 1 - Live in deeper Waters
The Venospike ray lives in very deep waters between 100 and 200m deep, due to the warmth of the stagnant ocean. The ocean substantially cooler once you get this deep than the surface waters. The Venospike ray cannot survive living in water which is too warm, as it is a warm blooded animal and its body would overheat. This is an advantage to the Ray as the deeper water keeps it cool, and also there is an abundance of the food which it feeds on there. Deep in the ocean there are also many caves and rock formations which the Venospike ray lives in and around. When breeding the Venospike Ray needs to give birth in water as cool as possible, as the pups are warmer than the Adult rays and for them to remain healthy this temperature needs to be brought down within a few days of being born.
Environmental Pressures the could have led to this adaptation may be that the oceans waters are much more stagnant in 250 Million Years, there is a current that runs anti clockwise in the southern hemisphere, and nothing in the northern hemisphere( where the venospike ray lives) and therefore the water is much warmer. The ray cannot cope if water temperatures are too high, so therefore it prefers to live in the deep water where it is cooler, and their food sources are abundant.
Behavioral Adaptation 2 - Solitary, do not live in the open ocean
The Venospike ray is solitary, and does not live in the open ocean. It is solitary as they find it beneficial to hunt and live alone to the nature of their habitat, and lifestyle. The Venospike ray spends most of the time, hiding and sleeping in caves and crevices, these crevices are not capable of holding more than one ray, and they also prefer to hunt alone, as their size does not make them very inconspicuous. They only come together during mating once a year, and a pup will stay with their mother for a year after being born. This is an advantage to the Venospike ray as being solitary allows it to be able to hunt animals which are only enough for one animal, if they hunted in groups it would be harder to share the meal, and also harder to remain unseen.
Environmental Pressures which may have led to this could be that the animals which they prefer to feed on are not enough to share between more than one Ray, and it is much easier to just catch one for oneself, rather than trying to find a group of prey. Also the future ocean floor does not have as many reefs and coral systems due to the heat, and this does not allow the Ray's to hide themselves as well as they did in the current world. It is much harder to hide and camouflage a group of animals as opposed to just one.
Physiological Adaptation - Breathing and Movement System
The Venospike ray does not use its pectoral fins or tail to swim, in fact it does not even have a tail. Behind the spiracles on the top of its head are another two holes, these two holes take in water, like the spiracles do, but they do not use the water to breathe, they use it to move. Water is taken in automatically into a small chamber and then is pushed out again through two holes at the back of the Venospike ray, by the pressure created from the water brought in by spiracles to breathe, and this propels the it forward. This is an advantage to the Venospike ray as it is a very energy efficient system and does not tire the ray. Also it does not disturb the ocean floor very much apart from a small amount of sand movement, so the ray can remain camouflaged and inconspicuous while hunting, and hiding from predators.
Environmental Pressures which could have given rise to this adaptation may be that as the ocean gradually got hotter the venospike ray could not continue swimming in the way that most rays did as it used to much energy, and their body temperature got too hot. This adaptation allows them to swim for longer periods of time without overheating and also ensures that energy is not wasted. Also it makes them harder to spot for predators as there is no defined movement as they are swimming through the water, apart from bubbles out one end of their body.
Environmental Pressures -
The environmental pressures which may have caused the ray to evolve could be that the ocean temperature steadily rose, meaning that the ray had to find new ways to move, and a new place to live, as its body could not survive in very warm waters. The new and more dangerous predators which had evolved meant the ray had to become attuned to this dangerous earth, it did so by evolving to have toxic spikes covering its back. Also the teeth and mouth evolved due to the new type of prey and animals that were abundant in this new world.
The Venospike Ray (Venenum Dasyatis meaning Venom Ray) is a possibility of what the Stingray may have evolved into in 250 Million Years). The Venospike Ray is a heart shape creature, whose body is covered in sharp barbs, which are all individually imbibed with a poisonous Toxin. These barbs normally lie flat though, similar to that of the modern echidna , but if the Ray is threatened or in danger the barbs will become erect and if the skin covering a barb is broken through penetration of another animal the toxin is released, and although not usually fatal, can cause substantial pain and paralysis. The ray is approximately 3 metres long and 2.5 metres wide, and lives for around 15 - 20 years. The Spikes on adult rays are very long, sharp and serrated, but when the ray is first born these spikes are delicate and not yet hard enough to do any damage. But in the year of life they develop and become sharper and can be used for defence. They are not fully developed at birth as it would be incredibly painful for the mother to give birth if the baby was covered in poisonous spikes.
Habitat
The earth 250 Million years from now will not look anything like it does today. It is predicted that Africa will collide with Europe, and the atlantic ocean will gradually get smaller until it does not exist at all. Australia move north and join onto Asia, forming a huge mountain range where the two collide. North America and South America will have become one, and will collide with the edge of Europe as the Atlantic Ocean disappears. There will be a huge supercontinent, similar to Pangaea of 200 Million Years Ago, called Pangaea Ultima . There will be only one ocean, which is huge and covers most of the planet. This ocean has an anti-clockwise current, circulating around the southern hemisphere. Because of this current this is very little water movement from North to South, and therefore the temperature gradient has grown substantially.
The Venospike Ray lives along the edges of what was once North America and South America. The Water is very deep being more than 200m in some places. The Ray lives in rock crevices and near reefs, underwater caves, not in the open ocean. Although it may venture into open ocean to hunt and and, it is not seen stationary out there due to the presence of the massive predators, which have developed in the past 250 Million Years, such as the futuristic sharks known as Sharkopaths. The Venospike Ray lives on the Oceanfloor, but can venture away if need be, but this is still its preferential habitat due its flat body shape.
The ocean which the The Venospike lives in now contains many different species, they have developed and evolved their defence mechanisms and are much more advanced generally. The small bony fish which the sting ray once fed on are long extinct. The Venospike Ray feeds on Sea Mammals and Fish, as it has developed a set of serrated sharp teeth so can now feed on animals such as the evolved seal, the oxyfish, and other species of fish, which also dwell on the bottom of the ocean.
The ocean is now a much warmer place than it was 250 Million Years ago, and for this reason the Venospike ray lives in deeper water, which are cooler, and also abundant with fish, mammals and other cartilaginous species like itself which have also evolved from rays and sharks. It longer travels to shallower waters to breed as the stingray did, as they are just too warm, and only smaller creatures live there, which are no longer a substantial source of food and nourishment.
THe Venospike ray is mostly a solitary creature, as they live so deep there is not a huge amount of difference between light, during night and day, so the Venospike Ray feeds once a day, and then remains hidden for the rest of the time, in a rock crevice or reef. Due to the warm water temperature if they exert themselves for too long they can become exhausted and therefore they must rest for much of the day, and if they need to venture from their hiding places, they do it slowly, using minimal energy.
Adaptation -
Structural Adaptation 1- Spikes Venospike Rays back
The Venospike Ray has spikes covering its whole back, when the ray needs to defend itself the spikes stand erect, and when not in use they lie flat. The spikes are covered in a thin layer of skin and when they penetrate another animal etc, the layer of skin breaks, allowing the harmful toxin to be released. Although the toxin is not fatal, it can cause significant pain and paralysis. Every spike on the Venospike Ray's back contains this toxin, and it can be released from more than one spike at once. Whenever the skin is broken the toxin is released. This helps the Venospike Ray as it is there strongest defense mechanism, if something comes to attack them from above their spikes become erect and if the attacker gets to close and touches the ray, they will have poison injected into them. It is also helpful as the spikes do not stand erect all the time, only when it feels threaten. This is useful as it allows them to swim with more streamlined bodies, and also they can hide in much smaller spaces and hide themselves more easily.
Environmental Pressures that may have led to this adaptation could be that in 250 Million Years the animals in the ocean have evolved greatly, the predators are even more dangerous than they are in the modern world. This may have led to the fact that the Venospike ray needs a more effective protection and defensive mechanism than what the modern Stingray has. Without this adaptation the Venospike ray would not be suited to live in this futuristic world as it would be very vulnerable to attack with no effective form of protection.
Structural Adaptation 2 - Teeth and shape of mouth
The teeth and the shape of the mouth on the Venospike Ray have greatly evolved. The mouth is no longer on the bottom of the ray, as it has been in the past. It is now at the very front (as seen in diagram above) and can open and close effectively for feeding, and the jaw is much stronger. The teeth in the mouth are also very different. They are very sharp serrated teeth used for ripping and chewing meat and bones. This helps the venospike ray as it no longer feeds on the crustaceans the stingray did, it feeds on animals such as seals and the oxy fish, both are which quite large and meaty. Its serrated teeth and strong jaw allow it to crunch through bones, and tear and chew meat with ease.
Environmental pressures which may have led to this adaptation may be that there are no longer the small bony fish around and crustaceans which the stingray used to feed on. There are now mammals and fish which are quite large and with the size of the Venospike rays body (3m) it needs to be able to eat something which could sustain it. The way the mouth has adapted allows them to eat the seals, oxyfish and other fish and sea creatures, which they need to survive. Without these adaptations it would be almost impossible for them to find something which they could eat.
Behavioral Adaptation 1 - Live in deeper Waters
The Venospike ray lives in very deep waters between 100 and 200m deep, due to the warmth of the stagnant ocean. The ocean substantially cooler once you get this deep than the surface waters. The Venospike ray cannot survive living in water which is too warm, as it is a warm blooded animal and its body would overheat. This is an advantage to the Ray as the deeper water keeps it cool, and also there is an abundance of the food which it feeds on there. Deep in the ocean there are also many caves and rock formations which the Venospike ray lives in and around. When breeding the Venospike Ray needs to give birth in water as cool as possible, as the pups are warmer than the Adult rays and for them to remain healthy this temperature needs to be brought down within a few days of being born.
Environmental Pressures the could have led to this adaptation may be that the oceans waters are much more stagnant in 250 Million Years, there is a current that runs anti clockwise in the southern hemisphere, and nothing in the northern hemisphere( where the venospike ray lives) and therefore the water is much warmer. The ray cannot cope if water temperatures are too high, so therefore it prefers to live in the deep water where it is cooler, and their food sources are abundant.
Behavioral Adaptation 2 - Solitary, do not live in the open ocean
The Venospike ray is solitary, and does not live in the open ocean. It is solitary as they find it beneficial to hunt and live alone to the nature of their habitat, and lifestyle. The Venospike ray spends most of the time, hiding and sleeping in caves and crevices, these crevices are not capable of holding more than one ray, and they also prefer to hunt alone, as their size does not make them very inconspicuous. They only come together during mating once a year, and a pup will stay with their mother for a year after being born. This is an advantage to the Venospike ray as being solitary allows it to be able to hunt animals which are only enough for one animal, if they hunted in groups it would be harder to share the meal, and also harder to remain unseen.
Environmental Pressures which may have led to this could be that the animals which they prefer to feed on are not enough to share between more than one Ray, and it is much easier to just catch one for oneself, rather than trying to find a group of prey. Also the future ocean floor does not have as many reefs and coral systems due to the heat, and this does not allow the Ray's to hide themselves as well as they did in the current world. It is much harder to hide and camouflage a group of animals as opposed to just one.
Physiological Adaptation - Breathing and Movement System
The Venospike ray does not use its pectoral fins or tail to swim, in fact it does not even have a tail. Behind the spiracles on the top of its head are another two holes, these two holes take in water, like the spiracles do, but they do not use the water to breathe, they use it to move. Water is taken in automatically into a small chamber and then is pushed out again through two holes at the back of the Venospike ray, by the pressure created from the water brought in by spiracles to breathe, and this propels the it forward. This is an advantage to the Venospike ray as it is a very energy efficient system and does not tire the ray. Also it does not disturb the ocean floor very much apart from a small amount of sand movement, so the ray can remain camouflaged and inconspicuous while hunting, and hiding from predators.
Environmental Pressures which could have given rise to this adaptation may be that as the ocean gradually got hotter the venospike ray could not continue swimming in the way that most rays did as it used to much energy, and their body temperature got too hot. This adaptation allows them to swim for longer periods of time without overheating and also ensures that energy is not wasted. Also it makes them harder to spot for predators as there is no defined movement as they are swimming through the water, apart from bubbles out one end of their body.
Environmental Pressures -
The environmental pressures which may have caused the ray to evolve could be that the ocean temperature steadily rose, meaning that the ray had to find new ways to move, and a new place to live, as its body could not survive in very warm waters. The new and more dangerous predators which had evolved meant the ray had to become attuned to this dangerous earth, it did so by evolving to have toxic spikes covering its back. Also the teeth and mouth evolved due to the new type of prey and animals that were abundant in this new world.
http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2000/ast06oct_1/ - Nasa Science, Continents in Collision:Pangaea Ultima, Retrieved on 23 July 2010
http://www.thefutureiswild.com/index.asp?level1id=3&level2id=8 - The Future is wild: 200 Million Years from now, Retrieved 23 July 2010
http://www.thefutureiswild.com/index.asp?level1id=3&level2id=8&level3id=12 - The Future is wild: Global Ocean, Retrieved 23 July 2010
http://www.tos.org/oceanography/issues/issue_archive/issue_pdfs/22_2/22.2_falkowski.pdf - The once and Future Ocean, Paul G Falkowski, Retrieved 24 July 2010